In academic research papers and in any other writing that borrows information from sources, the borrowed information—quotations, summaries, paraphrases, and any facts or ideas that are not common knowledge—must be clearly documented.

The various academic disciplines use their own editorial styles for citing sources and for listing the works that have been cited. The style described in this section is that of the Modern Language Association (MLA), contained in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th ed. (New York: MLA, 1999).